Day 2:
- Sunrise at Angkor Wat
We got up around 4+ because our driver was scheduled to come at 5 a.m. It was a great feeling, taking the tuk-tuk. Heading to Angkor Wat under the cover of darkness, with the skies incredibly starry and the cool wind in my hair...I kept poking my head out to look at the skies, I lost my cap. It must have been as thus a few centuries ago with the same stars and Angkor Wat in the distance. The journey that morning will be etched in my heart forever, close always.
When we reached Angkor Wat, we had to make our way in the dark and we didn't have a torch again! So we depended on minimal lighting from the torchlights of other tourists. We didn't really know where to go and ended up following masses of dark shadows around. Finally, we reached a spot where most of the people settled for.
Angkor Wat is magnificent. One can scarely believe that it was built a few centuries before. The grandness of the buildings, the intricate carvings and how everything is so unique. I've read that at one glance the many asparas looked to be the same but in fact they are are all unique, different in their accessories or in the position of their hands...=)
The morning sun hitting the courtyard was also a sight to behold. What one sees is probably the exact same scene an observer standing in your place would have saw centuries earlier. Treading grounds that have seen the passage of time longer than our brief human lifespans is an incredible feeling. Touching the pillars, knowing that someone probably rested against it or have laid their hands on it just makes me feel that the long passage of time between us is but a moment's respite.
- Angkor Thom
I believe we went in through the South gate where there were rows of stone figures holding up the body of a naga (supposedly depicting the Churning of the Ocean of Milk). Gan was the one who brought the iconology to my attention and then after which, I saw them like almost everywhere...
It has its roots from the Hindu epic Bhagavata-Purana. The gods and demons churns the ocean of milk in order to obtain an elixir that will make them immortal. The gods and demons work together by pulling on a naga's (serpent) body.
It's really amazing how they managed to build all those massive monuments, isn't it? And I realised that the picture I took at the South gate of Angkor Thom would pass for a classic picture of a car advertisement.
Angkor Thom is not a temple but a city although there are ruins of shrines in the compound. Cambodia is definitely a hot place and the sun shines so brightly that I can really tan within two days. But I love it when the rays hit the ruins and puddles of light and shadows form...
We went to Bayon, within Angkor Thom first. It was a bit weird to see a balloon bearing the name of Tokyo University there. It totally didn't fit in with the decor. They were there to help to maintain and conserve the ruins. There were signages to explain what they were doing, the problems faced and the progress so far. An example I remembered was how sand was used to mould the blocks so that they fitted exactly but due to the nature of the stones, water has eroded them such that they no longer fitted exactly like before and have become fairly unstable.
As with maintaining historic sites, there is always the factor of authencity. It is not possible to remove and rebuilt everything for then the heritage would be lost. In trying to limit the replacements of stones (they also had to find matching stones) as well as having to work with the ancient design and workmanship and environmental erosion part of the authencity, one can imagine the difficulties that they face are of great consequence.
There were also many large faces and some of them were seen in temples later on too. I love this picture with the face catching the warmth of the sun because along with the aged stones that has transcend the centuries, comes with life on it that seemed sort of symbolic to me. It was totally apt that life should be there along with the ruins that have already weathered the elements over time.
Angkor Thom is big. In fact we headed to the Baphuon and I think Gan didn't want to go up. We wandered for some more before we got really quite tired. Not tired of taking in everything but our legs simply couldn't carry us in the fierce heat anymore.
In the grounds of the Royal Palace, I replaced the cap I lost with an extremely wide-brimmed hot pink hat. I do wish there was a better colour but given a choice between hot pink, a trashy red one that says New York and one with *ahem flower printed motifs, I chose the hot pink. I was pleased that it cost only 2 USD. I bargained of course. I can't remember what the seller quoted me. I was eager for the wide-brimmed hat just not in that colour and started to walk off before the seller called for me and agreed to sell.
Had to really wash it when I got back of course. But given the huge brim that totally cover my face, I probably will bring that pink hat with me on hot holiday trips.
Gan and I then flopped down under shade to sit, relax and take in the surroundings. We really couldn't walk anymore and it was not even noon yet.
We headed back to our tuk-tuk and he drove us to the North Kleangs that I noticed not too far off but was reluctant to walk to. I just wanted to see how they look like at close range. After which we left by one of the gates and headed to the next temple.
After which, we went to a series of temples, some were like little ruins hidden away in the jungle, others were the ancient version of skyscrapers that we needed to climb up to. There were still others that were fighting not to crumble under enormous roots of trees.
Here's a short video of what we saw when we sat and stare. We jus sat quietly, watching the leaves fall when the wind came rustling...
After which we headed back to the hostel around 3+ to...sleep again. Hah. We decided not to go and watch any sunsets after our tuk-tuk driver charged us extra. We woke up in the evening and headed to the Soup Dragon in Pub Street to eat our dinner. It really is quite a nice place and we had seats on the second floor. Across the street, there was a projection of Spiderman 3 on a big screen so we could watch if we wanted. I mostly read and wine was cheap. It was around 10 USD for less or a bottle and we finished our wine there and then.
We walked back...bathed and then finally climbed into bed around 10 or 11 pm.
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